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Concentration
Concentration was a game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. Game Format Two contestants (one a returning champion) sat before a board of 30 squares, which concealed the rebus, names of prizes and special squares. One at a time, the contestants called out two numbers. If the prizes or special action did not match, the opponent took a turn. However, if the player did match, whatever prize was printed on the card was placed on a board behind the contestant; or, he/she could perform an action. The second number had to be called out within a certain time limit; otherwise the contestant's turn ended. It was also permissible to pass on one's turn. This usually happened during the course of a game if a contestant called out a prize card that had been orphaned as the result of a Wild Card match (see below). More importantly, a match also revealed two pieces of the rebus, which identified a person, phrase, place, thing, etc. The player could try to solve the rebus by making one guess or choose two more numbers. There was no penalty for a wrong guess; even if he/she was wrong, he/she kept control. Usually, a player waited to solve the puzzle until they had exposed a good portion of the rebus through several matches. In rare instances, the puzzle was solved with only a few clues showing. On one occasion, it was solved with only two clues. In addition to the prize cards, there were the following action cards: *'Wild Card' - Provided an automatic match. In the original game this left the natural match "orphaned", only able to be matched by the other Wild Card, of which there were only two on the board. If the player matched the same prize to both Wild Cards, a check mark would be placed next to the prize on the player's board, and that player would win two of that prize if he or she solved the puzzle. **Players uncovering both Wild Cards simultaneously also won a bonus. At first, players won $500 (theirs to keep regardless of the game's outcome) and chose two additional numbers; the prizes went on that contestant's side and four pieces of the rebus were revealed. Late in the run, the bonus was changed to a new car, and again the player kept it, regardless of the game's outcome. Only one car was awarded to a contestant if they called a "Double Wild Card." *'Take One Gift' - There were two of these cards in each game. If a player matched them, he/she could take their choice of any of the prizes listed on their opponent's prize board. Of course, the game had to be won to receive all prizes listed on their prize board. *'Forfeit One Gift' - There were six of these in each game. If a player matched two of them, they had to forfeit one prize to their opponent. Naturally, they would give up the least expensive, but sometimes had to give up something very valuable (if that was the only one on their board). Also included were two or three joke or gag prizes (such as a banana peel or a tattered sock; over the years, the gag prizes would be comprised of some creatively bad puns and wordplay). These actually served as protection against matching the Forfeit cards he/she might stumble upon. During a panel discussion of the series at the 2005 Game Show Congress, producer Blumenthal stated that the cash value of the gag gifts was $1. If a contestant solved the puzzle, they won all of their accumulated prizes which were theirs to keep. If there were no legitimate prizes in the rack, they were awarded $100. The loser forfeited all his/her gifts accumulated in that game, but still received token parting gifts as well as the show's home game. There was no bonus round in the original game. Occasionally, a game would come down to where only two prize cards were left on the board, which because of the Wild Cards often did not match. In such instances, the unmatched cards were turned over to reveal the entire puzzle, and the contestant who made the last match was allowed one guess to try to solve it first. If he/she guessed incorrectly, their opponent was allowed to make one guess. If both guessed incorrectly, the game ended in a draw. A new game was played and each contestant was allowed to carry over a maximum of three prizes. Should time run out in the middle of a game, the puzzle was revealed and a new game started on the next show with the prizes from the previous game carried over into that next game. Champions continued until they either were defeated or won 20 games. Trivia Due to the quiz show scandals, Jack Barry relinquished the rights to the show to NBC. Three months later, the series was owned and revived by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman and ran in syndication for five years from 1973 until 1978. additionally, a revival of the pilot, hosted by Orson Bean was made in 1985 but was never aired. Jack Narz was the following host of Concentration in the late 1970s. In 1987, the series was revived on NBC once again as Classic Concentration hosted by Alex Trebek, running from May 4, 1987 until September 20, 1991. Reruns of this version also aired on the same network until 1993. International Versions Main Article: Concentration/International Merchandise Board Games Milton Bradley (1958-1982) ConcentrationBoardGame1.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame2.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame3.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame4.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame5.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame6.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame7.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame8.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame9.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame10.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame11.JPG ConcentrationBoardGame12.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame14.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame15.JPG ConcentrationBoardGame16.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame17.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame18.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame19.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame20.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame21.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame22.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame23.JPG ConcentrationBoardGame24.jpg ConcentrationBoardGame25.jpg ConcentrationBoardGameED.jpg ConcentrationBoardGameRefills.jpg ADDITIONAL NOTE: no "13th edition" was ever made. Books (1971) ConcentrationBook1F.gif ConcentrationBook2F.jpg ConcentrationBook3F.gif ConcentrationBook1B.gif ConcentrationBook2B.gif ConcentrationBook3B.gif Photos Conc1.jpg Conc24.gif Conc23.JPG Conc22.gif Conc21.gif Conc20.gif Conc19.gif Conc18.gif Conc17.gif Conc16.gif Conc15.jpg Conc14.jpg Conc13.jpg Conc12.jpg Conc11.jpg Conc10.jpg Conc9.jpg Conc8.jpg Conc7.jpg Conc6.jpg Conc5.jpg Conc4.JPG Conc3.jpg Conc2.jpg Conc31.JPG Conc30.JPG Conc29.JPG Conc28.gif Conc27.gif Conc26.JPG Conc25.gif JB46.JPG ConcentrationTicket.jpg Episode Status Video See Also Concentration (1973-1978) Concentration (1985 pilots) Classic Concentration Links Russ Mason's Concentration Page James Vipond’s Concentration Site Category:Game Shows A-M Category:NBC Daytime Category:NBC Primetime Category:1958 Premiere Category:1958 Ending Category:1961 Premiere Category:1961 Ending Category:1973 Ending